Frankenset Page #69

I plan on getting into the Washington Nationals' historic World Series victory in a blog post later this weekend. For now, however, I'll stick to how impressed I am that in the first year without Bryce Harper, this team made history.

Like I said, there's a lot to get into with the Nationals, and a performance like this is worthy and deserving of its own blog post. Thus, I'll get to them on Saturday or Sunday, and I'll stick to frankenset page #69 today.

Featuring cards #613-621, this page spans 5 decades (the 1970s-2010s) of Baseball history. Without any further adieu, let's begin with #613, a card from earlier this decade.

#613 2011 Topps Dexter Fowler

In hindsight, perhaps giving Dexter Fowler a 5-year $83 million deal wasn't the brightest move that the St. Louis Cardinals could've made following a campaign in which they went 86-76 but missed the playoffs.

Now 33 years old, Fowler's been relegated to a bench role; his 3 seasons in St. Louis thus far have been marred with injuries and an overall decrease in production since making the All-Star team with the Cubs back in 2016.

#614 1990 Fleer Jeff Robinson

Seeing a Tigers logo alone reminds me of how much this team has slipped since the early part of the 2010s when they were one of the most feared teams in the game. Detroit won 90 games 5 years ago in 2014 before losing to the Orioles in the ALDS.

Flashforward to the 2019 MLB season. The Tigers are the worst team in Baseball at 47-114. That's a huge statement, considering that there were 4 teams with 100+ losses this season.

#615 1983 Topps Garry Maddox

For some reason, a ton of Garry Maddox cards come to mind when I think of my favorites from the 80s, and it's not even like he's one of my player collections. First, there's his 1985 Donruss card, now '83 Topps.

Granted, there are a million cards from the '83 set of hitters wearing powder blue uniforms, but there's something about Maddox's that's extra special.

#616 2006 Topps Kenji Johjima

In other news, the Red Sox hired Chaim Bloom, the former Rays senior vice president of baseball operations, to be their new chief Baseball officer, an expansion of the job previously held by Dave Dombrowski.

Bloom will jump directly into a challenging situation with J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts' respective futures in Boston unsure. Dombrowski, on the other hand, likely won't find a job as high up in an organization as president of baseball ops given how he left Boston.

#617 1980 Topps Joaquin Andujar

Long before they moved to the American League and won a World Series, the Houston Astros had some incredibly talented teams towards the end of the 1970s and early 1980s.

Led by guys like Cesar Cedeno, J.R. Richard, and Joaquin Andujar, the teams, in one way or another, are reminiscent of the perennial championship-contending squad of the late 2010s. However, they weren't able to capture the Fall Classic title until many decades later.

#618 1983 Topps LaMarr Hoyt

In last week's frankenset post, I remember mentioning the White Sox uniforms, introduced during the mid-1980s, with "SOX" spelled in large letters on the front of the jersey.

More so than most MLB teams, the White Sox have had a surplus of different uniforms, so I never know what to expect when I stumble upon one of their cards from the 70s or 80s. Along with the red stripes, I'd rank this uniform as one of my favorites in the team's history.

#619 2008 Topps Heritage Blake DeWitt

Though Topps Heritage, for me, isn't as impressive or desirable as it once was, the on-point recreations of iconic Flagship designs have remained impressive, from 2001 all the way to 2019.

The 2008 Heritage design paid homage to the 1959 Topps set, one of my top 15 favorites of all-time. It was refreshing to see Topps utilize the design once again in 2019 Topps Archives with new names and better photography.

#620 1971 Topps Frank Howard

It's very fitting that, following the Nationals' World Series win, my frankenset page features a card of Frank Howard, a member of the Washington Senators, the last team to play in the nation's capital before the Expos became the Nats in 2005.

Aside from Walter Johnson, Howard may just be the most recognizable player in Senators' history. He made 4 All-Star game appearances in Washington and finished top 5 in MVP voting twice before the team relocated to Texas.

#621 1988 Donruss Donnie Moore

Last up, an alright card from 1988 Donruss which, given the set design, is as good as you can hope for. I love the Angels uniform above as it reminds me of guys like Rod Carew from the early and mid-1980s.

If only it was accompanied by a better base set design, this card could emerge as one of my favorites of the page.